More than 50 professional shoplifters were arrested in an undercover operation targeting criminal crews before holiday shoppers hit the malls, Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez announced Sunday.

The stings, which began in mid-October, were conducted in stand-alone stores in the suburbs, stores along Michigan Avenue and in shops at Orland Park's Orland Square Mall and Schaumburg's Woodfield Mall.

The brazen crews of "boosters," or professional shoplifters, targeted by the investigation are sophisticated and organized, working in groups to steal electronics, razors, over-the-counter medicine, baby formula and brand-name clothing, authorities said. They carry tools to open boxes and line their bags with duct tape to prevent security sensors from activating.

"This isn't just some teenager going out to shoplift one item," Alvarez said. "We're talking about big groups that are stealing large quantities of goods, fencing them, sending them elsewhere and making a lot of money off of it."

Speaking to reporters, Alvarez narrated as she played surveillance footage of shoplifters placing items into their pockets and dumping items into containers inside their shopping carts.

"Right off the shelf and into the bag," she said.

In one instance, a couple stealing a suit jacket shoved the item of clothing down the woman's pants.

Among the 59 charged was Phillip Mazurek, 65, of Skokie, who was caught Nov. 18 picking up a $5,000 crystal vase, placing it in a shopping bag and walking out of a Michigan Avenue boutique, Alvarez said. Mazurek, who has at least three former shoplifting convictions, was charged with felony retail theft. He is being held in the Cook County Jail without bond, according to the sheriff's website.

Authorities said they recovered tens of thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise from the operation.

"While this crime may not seem as significant as other violent crimes, it is important that we address it because it has a direct impact on consumers," Alvarez said of shoplifting. "It drives up consumer prices when retailers are forced to raise their prices because of significant losses due to theft."

And the stolen products end up with fencing operations, where the products are resold "for significant untaxed profits," Alvarez said. Last year, the state of Illinois lost $77 million in tax revenue from goods stolen then resold, she said.

Organized shoplifting costs retailers nationwide an estimated $15 billion to $30 billion annually, according to the National Retail Federation.

There are also consumer safety issues. For instance, products with expiration dates, such as over-the-counter medicine or baby formula, may end up in a dollar store or other purveyor of fenced merchandise and the expiration dates may not be heeded, Alvarez said.

Authorities said the items or the profits may end up overseas, creating an international money-laundering operation.

Gary Hartwig, special agent in charge of U.S. Immigrant and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago, said his agency is currently investigating several such cases.